Welcome to the Family
by carrot138
Summary: Lucius Malfoy is not having a very good holiday. Why? His wife has invited over some family for Christmas. Tensions are running high to say the least. Hermione/Draco
1. Enter Draco

**Welcome to the Family**

_Oh how I despise the holidays, _Lucius Malfoy thought angrily.

He was currently sitting in his private study with his feet propped up on the desk and a large bottle of fire whiskey in his hand. The once full bottle was now nearly empty which did nothing to improve his mood.

Without warning he stood up slamming the glass bottle onto the desk and bellowing harshly, "ELF! Where are you? Get your lazy, useless ass in here!"

The unfortunate creature appeared in a matter of seconds, but this was apparently too slow for his master. While continuing to shout and curse at the elf, Lucius picked it up by the neck and squeezed while shaking it hard. The elf knew better than to struggle with its violent master and took the abuse quietly. He belonged to Master and Master could do whatever Master pleased with him.

After about a minute, the elf went limp in his master's grasp. Lucius smirked and dropped the unconscious creature unceremoniously to the floor. He then sat back down in his chair as if nothing had happened. His face which had displayed such anger while abusing the elf was now eerily calm. He had needed to relieve some stress. His family was coming.

It was a week until Christmas and tonight what was left of the Malfoy family and its friends would start showing up. Lucius loathed the idea of having them stay in the manor, but his _dear_ wife had insisted on it. Lucius had told her no, but she had sent out invitations anyway. Lucius had been furious with her. He had beat her and locked her in one of their home's many bathrooms, refusing to let the house elves bring her food or tend to her wounds.

When he had finally let her out she looked terrible, but with a couple of spells he had perfected, she looked brand new. He held no affection for her and she despised him. Their marriage was for the purpose of creating an heir and since that was accomplished with Draco, they wanted nothing to do with each other. Divorce would have been ideal, but was not an option in the pure-bred world. Instead for the past several years they had been living on opposite sides of the manor.

They shared meals together from time to time but would rarely speak to one another. When they did it was to argue. At public functions they would go together and act the part, but it was only show. Once they returned home Lucius would get drunk and Narcissa would hide in her room.

Lucius downed the last of the whiskey and made a displeased face. He would have to share a room with Narcissa while the guests were here.

The elf on the floor began to cough and wheeze as it regained consciousness. An annoyed expression crossed Lucius' face as he cast a silencing spell on it. It continued to make violent coughing motions which made its master smirk. Its pathetic noises were ruining his concentration. He was trying to think about business to keep his mind off of the impending intrusions on his privacy.

Just as he was thinking this he heard someone at the door. With a sigh he slowly stood up, straightening his robes, and walked out of the room. On his way he pushed the elf who had finally righted itself back onto the floor without a second glance. Quickly scrambling to its feet, the elf hurried to catch up with its master.

When he reached the front door he paused slightly before motioning for the elf to open it. In walked a young man with pale skin and white-blond hair.

"Hello father." he said coldly.

Lucius smiled thinly. _Ah, his _precious_ son. He should have know the brat would be the first to arrive._

"I see that you've brought your lovely wife and child," Lucius commented emotionlessly as he noticed the two people standing in the doorway still.

They both moved forward and Draco nodded stiffly, "One generally spends Christmas with their family. Hermione and Scorpius are part of my family."

"Yes, yes, we are so lucky to have the _brilliant_ witch Hermione Granger as a part of the family now. No doubt she'll raise my grandchild well." Lucius smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes and his voice held thinly veiled sarcasm.

Hermione scowled understanding the meaning behind his words, "Why thank you Mr. Malfoy. I'm glad that you're _so open _to me being a part of your family. I thought that you would have a hard time of it considering my lineage."

"Nonsense my dear Hermione," Lucius replied his eyes narrowing, "You may be a mudblood, but that doesn't mean anything now, as long as you know your place."

Hermione's face went red and her mouth opened in shock and anger. Draco quickly stepped in between the two. "If you will excuse us father, I think we will go to our room now before dinner. We are tired from the trip and Scorpius needs a nap."

Without waiting for a reply, Draco grabbed Hermione's wrist and pulled her and Scorpius up the staircase and to his old room.

When they got there Hermione sat down on the bed and threw her hands up in the air, "I can't stand your father Draco! This is not a good idea. We should just celebrate Christmas at our own home."

"I know this isn't easy Hermione and I know that my father's not a good man, but he is Scorpius' grandfather and I do care about him still. Just please do this for me, we have been to your parent's house lots of times, but we've never come here."

"Fine, you have it easy though, at least my parents don't hate you."

Draco smiled and kissed Hermione on the cheek, "I love you."


	2. The Joys of Family Dinners

The house elves had set out a big dinner. When Hermione had first seen it she thought that it looked like one of the dinners Hogwarts had, the only difference being that the food at Malfoy Manor was obviously of the best quality.

The dinner had started at seven and it was now seven thirty. Other than a few forcibly polite greetings on all parts the meal had been silent so far. Lucius sat at the head of the table scowling at his daughter-in-law as he drank his wine. She fidgeted under his gaze and busied herself with making sure that Scorpius behaved properly. Draco noticed this and glanced toward his mother every few seconds hoping that she'd say something and break the tension, but she seemed to be oblivious to everyone's discomfort.

Unable to stand the silence any longer, Draco cleared his throat softly and addressed his mother, "Thank you for inviting us Mother."

The words had an immediate effect on the group. Hermione's head snapped up to look at Mrs. Malfoy, Mr. Malfoy gripped his glass more tightly, eyes narrowing, and Draco imperceptibly held his breath.

"Nonsense," Narcissa replied calmly, "You are still family after all. I wished to see my grandson."

Scorpius who had just turned five didn't seem to be paying attention to the conversation. He was moving his mashed potatoes back and forth when he noticed everyone looking at him. His little, blond head tilted to the side and he asked puzzled, "Why are you all looking at me?"

Narcissa smiled, "What a darling. He looks just like you did when you were young Draco. He doesn't look much like his mother at all though."

"And what a pity that is." Lucius added smirking.

Hermione stiffened. It took all of her self control not to pull out her wand and curse him into oblivion. She knew though that that was exactly what he wanted her to do. He wanted her to attack him so that he could curse her in return. Instead she smiled sweetly, "Perhaps our next child will look more like me."

Lucius ignored her and turned to his son, "You plan to have more? I think that is unwise. Purebloods do not breed like common animals. Then again they do not marry animals either."

He looked pointedly at Hermione. Her face reddened in anger and she balled her fists by her side.

"Father," Draco said raising his voice slightly, "I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about my wife in that manner. And, we will do what we please. Nothing would make us happier than having five or six children running around our home."

Lucius laughed harshly, "I should think you would need a larger house than your current one with plans like those. How do you expect to get the money for a new one? You will certainly not be receiving anything from your mother and I and goodness knows that the Grangers would never be able to help you."

"We will figure something out. We have quite a bit of money saved up and my business is doing well."

"How long will that last though? You have no experience. All that school I paid for taught you nothing. Look at how you've ended up!" Lucius growled, "Your mother and I expected so much more from you. You have turned out to be a great disappointment."

This statement was met with silence. Although Draco didn't want to admit it, and as much as he just wanted to pass off his fathers remarks as drunken nonsense, the words hurt. He knew his father meant it. Whether drunk or sober, he meant it.

Hermione looked at her husband and saw his pain for a second before he quickly hid it behind his familiar mask of boredom. She then directed her eyes to her lap. She ran her fingers over the white napkin briefly stopping at an embroidered _M _placed in the corner. '_Malfoy'_ _That's my name now, but why does it feel so wrong all of a sudden? I think it's this house, it feels so…so….unsettling. I just hope this week goes by quickly. _

One of the house elves entered the room and quickly bowed before Lucius and then clapped his hands twice. The table was cleared and then dessert appeared in quick succession. Scorpius smiled as though Christmas had come early and began eating his pie immediately.

Hermione noticed Lucius watching the boy as he ate. "Is there something you wanted Mr. Malfoy?" she asked.

His eyes turned to her, "No my dear, I was just noting how much my grandchild seems to be liking his cherry pie. I would guess that his parents don't give him dessert very frequently."

"He gets it as a treat often enough. Children don't need dessert every meal." she replied.

"Hmm…well he can have dessert whenever he's with me. You'd like that wouldn't you Scorpius?"

Scorpius' blue eyes widened as he quickly swallowed his last bit of pie, "Yes please sir!"

Lucius smiled, "The boy knows what he wants. Already he's becoming a Malfoy. You should be so proud of him son."

Everyone continued eating their dessert and Lucius laughed when Scorpius asked for more. They were just finishing when an elf walked in and announced that there was another guest at the door. Narcissa excused herself and went to greet them. Five minutes later the golden dining room doors opened and in walked Mrs. Malfoy. Right behind her was the guest.

Hermione gasped but everyone else appeared to be unsurprised. The table magically made room for the guest and they sat down across form her.

"Ah, I had forgotten that you would be here. You were always such a troublemaker in my class."

Severus Snape smirked.

* * *

So what do you think? Reviews would be nice.


	3. Private Discussions

Severus couldn't honestly say that he was happy to see his former student, but he couldn't say that he was displeased either. She was quite adept at potions and he respected that, but he found her know-it-all behavior tiresome.

Hermione was suspicious of his presence, "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" Severus said calmly taking a sip of wine, "I was invited the same as you were. I _am _Draco's Godfather."

Hermione frowned but before she could say anything else, Severus spoke again, "It has been pleasant chatting with you, but Narcissa and I have a few things to discuss. I'll see all of you in the morning."

As Severus escorted Narcissa from the room Lucius addressed Hermione, "Since my wife appears to be busy, I would like some time to catch up with Draco. If you don't mind that is my dear. You should be putting Scorpius to bed anyways. It's getting late."

Hermione and Draco exchanged a quick glance. Hermione saw Draco nod slightly so she took her son's hand and they left for their room.

Lucius then turned to Draco, "Let's go to the parlor, we have a few things to discuss."

They both stood up and walked silently to the room. Portraits lining the hallway whispered as they passed. They walked by many rooms before stopping by a set of ornate silver double doors. Lucius opened them forcefully and strolled inside. The calm demeanor that he had had during dinner was gone in an instant.

He turned on his heel and began to shout at his son, "Listen boy! I've had just about enough from you. It's bad enough that you married that mudblood bitch, but now you've gone and brought her filth into our home! I will not allow this!"

Draco glared at his father and yelled back, "I don't care what you think of Hermione, but keep it to yourself. I love her and she loves me. Besides, this is my house too and we were invited. I will bring her here if I want to!"

"Is that it? Do you think that she loves you?" Lucius laughed, "She only wants your money. I imagine that she's surprised that I have refused you money. You certainly can't seem to make any yourself. You're completely worthless and a blood traitor as well! Narcissa may approve of your union, but I will never condone it!"

"Well you and your approval can go to hell for all I care," Draco fumed, "You're drunk as usual."

An odd look came over Lucius' face. Fury glinted in his eyes as he drew his wand. He made a quick slashing motion that caused Draco to shout out in surprise and pain. Draco's hand shot up to his right cheek. A warm, slightly sticky liquid covered his fingers.

"Let that be a lesson to you son. I will not tolerate you talking back to me. Get out of my sight." Lucius growled.

Draco walked calmly from the room, but ran as soon as he was out of his father's sight. When he reached the nearest bathroom he locked the door and looked at his face in the mirror. The gash was deep but it wasn't as bad as some of the other injuries that he had sustained from his father.

_Perhaps he is getting soft with old age,_ Draco thought wryly.

With a healing spell he had learned long ago, Draco mended the wound and proceeded to wash the blood from his face and hands. As he watched the blood run down the sink he began to think which lead to worrying. What if his father did something to Hermione or Scorpius? It wasn't as though his father was incapable of harming them. As a death eater he had killed many people that he had had a much less personal grudge against.

Draco would never forgive himself if something happened to them. He decided from that moment on that he would keep careful track of where both his father and his wife were. Starting now.

He quickly composed himself, straightening his robes and flattening his hair. He then set off to his room. A worried Hermione was sitting on the bed waiting for him. When he entered she jumped up and ran to him.

"How'd it go Draco? It took an awfully long time; Scorpius' already asleep." She went to kiss him on the cheek, but he flinched away.

"Are you alright Draco?" she asked concerned.

His cheek was still a little sore but he didn't want to worry her further so he shrugged it off, "Sorry Honey, it's nothing. I'm just tired. It was a difficult talk and I would like to get some sleep. I'll tell you more about it in the morning."

Having been married to Draco for several years now she recognized that he wanted to be left alone to think about something. "Okay, we should both get some sleep. It has been a very trying day."

Draco changed into something more comfortable and they both lay down on the bed. Draco put his arms protectively around Hermione. She fell asleep almost instantly but Draco had a harder time of it. His son was in the room right next door. If he listened carefully Draco found that he could hear Scorpius' light snores. After several hours of sleeplessness, Draco took to staring at the clock. He was exhausted, but he didn't end up falling asleep until 4:30 am. It was this that caused him to oversleep.

* * *

Please let me know what you think. I anticipate being really busy for the next two weeks, but after that expect more regular updates. Sorry this was kind of short. The next chapter should be good though.


	4. Is it too much to ask for some food?

Hermione had always been an early riser and today was no exception. She awoke as six and gently removed herself from her husband's arms. She walked silently to the window and looked out. She could see the sun rising. After a few minutes her stomach growled loudly. With everything that went on she hadn't been hungry last night at dinner, but she now found that she was starving. Hermione looked back at Draco who had grabbed a pillow after she left. He seemed perfectly content.

Although she had never been to the house before, Hermione thought she had seen the kitchens on the way to the dining room. If she waited a couple of hours she knew that Draco would show her the way, but she was really hungry and didn't have the heart to wake him so early.

Hermione quickly got dressed and quietly tiptoed out of the room and into the hallway. Several staircases and hallways later she was thoroughly confused. She _thought_ she had come the same way as the previous night, but it seemed she was nowhere near the dining room.

In fact she was completely lost. All of the hallways looked the same: same carpet, same doors on either side, same paintings. Nearly every portrait was of a blond-haired man who looked very smug. Only one painting really stood out to Hermione and that was because the person in it appeared to be holding up a severed head. Most of the paintings seemed to laugh at her. A few shouted insults while others slept.

A slight panic arose in Hermione as she tried to figure out what to do. It reminded her a little of her first day in Hogwarts only there were no helpful older students here. She slammed her fist into the wall in frustration and then jumped when a voice reprimanded her.

"Tut, tut!" the voice exclaimed, "That's hardly the way a woman such as yourself should act."

She turned to the portrait that had spoken and examined it. The man in it had shoulder length platinum blond hair and what Hermione thought of as the typical Malfoy smirk lingering on his lips. His bright green eyes looked at her appraisingly as she looked at him.

"What do you mean by that!" Hermione demanded.

The man seemed to be enjoying her frustration, "I mean simply that you are a Malfoy and should behave as such. You never saw my wife wandering around, banging on walls."

"Well I'm lost in this stupid, ridiculously large house and I'm starving, so forgive me for showing my annoyance." Hermione all but shouted at him.

"Forgiven." He smirked.

"Oh I give up!" she exclaimed turning away from the portrait, "If you're not going to help me I'm leaving."

"And you'll find your way by randomly choosing hallways? If that's what you want then go ahead, but who said I wasn't going to help you?"

Hermione turned back round, "Why would you help me? You obviously don't like me."

"My dear if I didn't at least find you intriguing we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I would be pretending to be asleep while I secretly enjoyed your situation. From what I've heard you're exceptionally smart and Lucius loathes you. I'll admit your heritage and intelligence are somewhat of a turnoff, but I have always despised my nephew and I think he would be quite pleased if you perished from hunger in the hall. Naturally therefore I feel it is necessary that you survive this experience in order to bother dear Lucius with your existence for many more days. Follow me."

With that he slid from his painting to the next one and waited impatiently for the girl to follow. In a matter of minutes Hermione found herself in the kitchens. The man from the portrait had left her at the door saying, "Good luck finding your way back. I'm not helping you twice. I don't like you that much."

As she looked around she noticed two house elves. One was cooking something that smelled delicious while the other washed dishes. They looked up from their tasks as she entered and asked her what she wanted. She told them and they quickly began making it.

She was just about to offer to help (she still hadn't completely gotten over S.P.E.W) when she heard someone else enter the room. It was Lucius and he did not look happy.

"Ah, dear Hermione, I see that you have found the kitchens." he said coldly.

"Nothing escapes you…sir." she replied with equal venom.

He took a step towards her and she instinctively stepped backwards. This seemed to amuse him greatly. He continued to approach her until she backed into a wall. His height loomed over her.

"Let me be frank with you Ms. Granger. I did not invite you here. That you married my son is a disgrace to the Malfoy family name." he said in a dangerously quiet voice, "I just want you to be clear that should something _tragic _happen to you I would be overjoyed and I have the perfect pure-blood witch for Draco to marry in your place."

Hermione's eyes widened slightly at the implied threat. She was surprised to find that this early in the morning she could smell alcohol on his breath. She glanced behind him and noticed the house elves had silently left the room. She was alone with him and more than a little worried.

He stepped closer to her then closing the distance between them. He placed a hand on either side of her head and brought his mouth to her ear.

"I do see why Draco is attracted to you though." he whispered, gently stroking her cheek with the back of his hand, "You are quite beautiful for a mudblood bitch."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she repressed a shudder. She quickly slapped his hand away and made a move to duck under his arm but he grabbed her wrists in an iron grip forcing her to remain where she was.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Hermione exclaimed, but it sounded pathetic even to her own ears.

"Is that so?" Lucius inquired raising an eyebrow, his tone mocking, "I had been told you were smart; it seems someone lied."

There was a moment of tense silence and then an angry voice shouted from the doorway, "What's going on in here!"

* * *

So what do you think? Like it? Hate it? Let me know. I know that it's been awhile and I'm sorry. Life had me busy.


	5. Shopping and Headaches

**Shopping and Headaches**

_There was a big party. Hundreds of people were there but he only recognized one or two of them. He and Hermione were dancing to a nice slow song. Over Hermione's shoulder he saw someone walking over to them and it suddenly felt as if the entire room was getting darker. The person was shrouded in an ominous mist. They shouted but Draco couldn't understand what they were saying. Just then the Dark Lord appeared and the figure seemed to sharpen around the edges. It was his father. _

_"My Master, take the girl." Lucius shouted pointing at Hermione._

_"No!" Draco screamed pulling Hermione behind him; the music that was playing in the background came to a screeching halt. None of the other people dancing seemed to notice._

_"My Master." Lucius exclaimed again, while trying to move Draco away from Hermione, "Master! Master! MASTER!" _

Draco awoke and sat up sharply. A small house elf jumped back as he did so.

"Master Draco!" the elf squealed, twisting its ears, "I is trying to wake Master Draco, but you is not waking. Master must hurry. Master Lucius is angry with Mistress Hermione."

As soon as the words left the elf's mouth Draco jumped up out of the bed and quickly grabbed a shirt from a chair as he shouted, "Where?" at the elf.

"They is in the kitchens, sir." the elf replied as Draco slid on his shoes and ran out of the door.

Years of living in the manor had made it easy for Draco to find his way. What he found when he reached the kitchen made him furious. His father had his wife pinned against the wall.

"What's going on in here!" Draco demanded.

Lucius turned his head to look at his son, lifted a blond eyebrow, and moved smoothly away from Hermione, "Nothing of importance Son. We were just discussing the plans for today. I was hoping that she would let me take Scorpius shopping for some toys."

Draco turned to his wife. The look on her face said quite clearly to him that this had not been the topic of discussion at all.

"I'm sure Scorpius would love that." Draco said, "Hermione and I need to pick up a few things as well. Will Mother be coming with us?"

Lucius wrinkled his nose disdainfully, "I highly doubt it. She said she wasn't feeling well this morning. Severus _generously_ offered to take care of her so that I would be able to spend time with my son and grandchild, so I doubt we'll be seeing him either."

"Yes, well Draco and I should probably go get Scorpius and ourselves ready for the day."

"You're right Hermione. We'll be back down in about an hour Father." Draco said, grabbing his wife's arm and leading her back to their room.

Lucius frowned at their backs. Ms. Granger was turning out to be more of a bother than he had thought. He just might have to make good on his threat.

* * *

Narcissa really did not feel well. She had an intense headache and felt slightly nauseous. She had told her husband this but he seemed to either not care or not believe her. The good news was that Severus was there and when she had told him, he went off to get a potion to help with her symptoms. It was taking him longer than she had thought though. A house elf had come and told her that the others had left on their shopping trip.

Her husband had not really left it as a option for her to go along. She considered this just as well because she didn't particularly want to go. She loved her husband really, but she couldn't stand to be with him. When they were in a room together it was only a matter of time before they got into an argument. Sometimes it was verbal, other times physical.

Narcissa groaned as another throb went through her head. At least she had cleaned the room the night before. She usually cleaned it in the morning. Yes, they had house elves, but It was a long time ago that Narcissa realized something. It was of no use to her if she worried about the big things; Lucius being a death eater, Lucius being an alcoholic, Draco becoming like his father, her husband being inexplicably angry. She could do nothing about these things. She could however clean. She could make sure everything was in order. She could make herself and the house look nice. It was her bit of control.

She rolled over on the bed in an attempt to get more comfortable. Perhaps if she fell asleep she would feel better when she woke up. Five minutes later Severus walked in to find her out cold.

He placed the potion down gently on the bedside table and looked down at Narcissa's sleeping form. Many would say that she was a cold individual and he wouldn't contradict them. She frequently did act selfish and uncaring, but he understood. It wasn't that she was a saint or anything deep down, but she did put up barriers to protect herself. He couldn't blame her for that. No sane individual could live with Lucius and come out completely unscathed.

Severus picked up the _Daily Prophet_ from the table and sat down in a chair by the bed. He had been stopped by the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor when he went to retrieve the potion for Narcissa and it had taken him forever to convince the idiot that he really had to be going. Severus just hoped that Narcissa felt better when she woke up.

* * *

It was only a few days until Christmas and Diagonally was crowded. It seemed as though every wizarding family in Britain was there doing last minute shopping. Scorpius was excited and wanted to skip ahead and run about but Hermione held firmly onto his hand. She didn't want him getting lost in the crowd.

Festive decorations lined the street and the shops had signs stating sales and offers to entice people in. Lucius led them immediately to the nicest toy shop on the street. Scorpius' jaw dropped open as his eyes took in all the magical toys. After a couple seconds of staring his eyes focused on a toy broomstick.

"Do you see something you like?" Lucius asked with a chuckle.

Scorpius nodded, his eyes wide, "Yes, can I get it?"

"Of course you can." Lucius replied, "You can get whatever you want. Grandfather's paying."

At this news Scorpius looked to his parents unbelievingly.

Draco nodded slowly, "You can get a couple things Scorpius."

Hermione looked disapprovingly at her father-in-law, " He already has a toy broom. I don't want him getting a bunch of expensive things that he won't play with for more than a few minutes."

Lucius waved his hand dismissively, "He's a Malfoy and he can get whatever he wants when he's with me. I imagine that you mostly buy him books for something fun to do. That's hardly what a five year old wants."

Just then the little boy walked over with some candy in his hands. His parents only got him candy on rare occasions. Something about it being bad for his teeth and making him hyper.

"Can I have candy?" He asked holding it out.

"Sure you can." Lucius replied.

Hermione looked at Draco for some help but he merely shrugged and took the candy from his son so they could buy it. It wasn't easy to say no to Lucius Malfoy.

* * *

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. I really appreciate it.


	6. What to do with Hermione?

**What to do with Hermione?**

They shopped for several hours and Scorpius acquired many new things. When they were done, Lucius called one of his elves to carry the toys back to the manor.

"This has been lovely," Lucius said as the elf disappeared with a pop, "but I actually have some business to attend to and I really must be going. Why don't you three have a nice lunch at the Leaky Cauldron? This should cover it."

He reached into one of his coat pockets and removed a small bag filled with Galleons. He tossed it to Draco and then turned on his heel. He then pushed a couple children out of the way with his cane and vanished into the crowd.

Hermione just stared after him, her jaw slightly opened., "What was that all about?"

Draco shrugged, "I have no idea."

"You don't think it's something illegal do you?" Hermione asked worriedly.

Her husband rolled his eyes, "With my father who knows? I wouldn't worry about it though if I were you. He has meetings all the time, I'm sure it's nothing."

* * *

While his son's family had been getting ready to go shopping Lucius had sent out an owl. After his confrontation with his daughter-in-law he had to do something. His son could not stay married to her. The reply to his letter looked good. They had agreed to meet with him at two that afternoon at a café in Hogsmeade.

Currently Lucius was sitting at a table drumming his fingers impatiently on the top of his cane. It was now 2:10 and he was annoyed. No one made Lucius Malfoy wait. As he sat there his mind went over his options.

The ideal situation would be if Ms. Granger (he never thought of her as a Malfoy in his head) dropped dead of natural causes. Unfortunately she seemed to be in perfect health so that was out. This also made it difficult to use poison because people would suspect foul play immediately. Just outright killing her, while pleasurable, was also not an option for obvious reasons. This left him with 'tragic accident' as the best option. But even that had its problems.

If it was discovered that it wasn't an accident, then blame would undoubtedly fall on him. He was the only one with a motive to kill her. This in and of itself wasn't the worst thing really (he could bribe and intimidate most people into an acquittal) but he would still end up in Azkaban for a few days and his son would probably never speak to him again. That would ruin the whole point of killing her in the first place.

This is why he had decided (regrettably) that there might be a better way to achieve his goal than by killing her. It was for this reason that he needed the person that he was waiting most impatiently for.

Lucius looked toward the door for what seemed like the hundredth time when he finally saw what he was looking for. A head of red hair.

* * *

After returning to the mansion, Draco and his family returned to their room. The house was quiet and they relaxed. Scorpius got out his new toys and played with them while Draco rubbed Hermione's back.

Hermione sighed, "That feels wonderful. Have I told you lately how much I love you."

Draco smiled, "You might have mentioned it, but you'll love me even more after this. Come on, there's something I've been meaning to show you."

"We can't just leave Scorpius here alone though!"

"Relax. We can have one of the house elves look after him while we're gone."

"Alright then," Hermione agreed.

Draco summoned one of the house elves and gave it instructions to not let Scorpius out of his room and make sure he didn't do anything dangerous. Draco then grabbed his wife's arm and led her through the hallways. After about five minutes walking, Hermione couldn't take the suspense anymore.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see in a minute. You are so impatient."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Are we there yet."

Draco laughed, "Yes, _not impatient_, I see what you mean."

Hermione playfully hit him on the shoulder, "Remind me what I see in you?"

Draco smiled as he stopped in front of a set of double doors, "I think you see a highly intelligent, devilishly handsome man who also happens to know your likes and dislikes. For instance, I happen to know for a fact that you have a certain affinity for books of all shapes and sizes."

With that he threw open the doors to what was the largest library Hermione had ever seen. Shelves went from floor to ceiling on three sides of the three-story room. The fourth wall was one enormous window that allowed plenty of natural light for reading. Spread around the room were several tables with chairs as well as a sofa. Hermione was momentarily speechless.

Draco smiled, "I thought you would like this. The Malfoy family has a long history and most of it is recorded in here. The books are arranged in chronological order of publication staring on the right. If you want to find a book on a particular subject though, you only need to write the subject in that book over there and a list of where to look will appear."

Hermione eagerly explored the library as Draco watched, occasionally pointing out particularly interesting or dangerous books. They spent the next couple hours reading together on a couch.

Suddenly Hermione sat up straight and closed her book, "I think I've had enough reading for one day."

"Really?" Draco raised his eyebrows, "I didn't think that was possible!"

His wife's eyes narrowed slightly as she put her book on the floor, "It isn't possible, but there's something else I'd like to do."

Draco closed his book and looked into her eyes, "And what would that be?"

Hermione took his book from his hands and threw it haphazardly onto the floor. She then leaned in close to Draco's ear and whispered on word. "This." She then brought her lips to his. The next several minutes were full of heated kisses and touches. This was on of the few chances they had had to be alone since Scorpius had been born.

And then it ended.

"Ahem."

The two quickly pulled apart to find Severus Snape standing in the doorway with an amused expression on his face. Hermione blushed, but Draco didn't seem too bothered.

"I hate to disturb you two as you endeavor to procreate in spite of Lucius's wishes, however I am in need of a book and Narcissa would like to speak with both of you up in her room."

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Next chapter we will see what Bellatrix has been up to. Reviews would be nice.


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